[citation needed] Kovalev took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but was defeated in the table of 32 by Jaime Martí of Spain.

[1] In the team event, Russia were stopped in the semi-finals by the United States, then defeated by Italy in the match for the third place, and Kovalev returned without a medal.

Russia eventually defeated Italy 45 to 41, allowing mates Aleksey Yakimenko, Artem Zanin, Veniamin Reshetnikov and Kovalev to take the gold.

[3] He received the title of "Honored Master of Sports" for his Olympic performance,[4] but did not particularly enjoy the attention it brought to him, describing the constant interviews and photo shoots as "a horror".

In the team event, Russia prevailed over reigning Olympic champion South Korea, then defeated Romania to take the gold medal.